BISHOP AYLMER. 157 



ledged to be handsomely amplified,) as he gathered them CHAP, 

 up through Knox s book, reducing them to syllogisms, were X1L 

 these six. 



I. That whatsoever is against nature, the same in a com- The 

 monwealth is not tolerable. But the government of a 



man is against nature. Ergo it is not tolerable. 



II. Whatsoever is forbidden by Scripture is not lawful. 

 But a woman to rule is forbidden by Scripture. Ergo it is 

 not lawful. 



III. If a woman may not speak in the congregation, much 

 less may she rule. But she may not speak in the congre 

 gation. Ergo she may not rule. 



IV. What the civil law forbiddeth, that is not lawful. 

 But the rule of a woman the civil law forbiddeth. Ergo it 

 is not lawful. 



V. Seeing there followeth more inconvenience of the rule 

 of women than of men s government ; therefore it is not to 

 be borne in a commonwealth. 



VI. The Doctors and Canonists forbid it. Ergo it can 

 not be good. 



Thus Aylmer drew out the substance and strength of 

 Knox s book by reducing it into these particulars: which 

 he called the props which held up this matter ; or rather 

 the pickaxes to undermine the State. All which he an 

 swered, article by article, with a great deal of fine wit, 

 strong reason, handsome eloquence, and great reading of 

 histories and authors. 



After he had despatched his answer to Knox, in the con 

 clusion of his book he treated of three things with peculiar 

 regard unto the new Queen. I. Of the duty owing from 

 the subject to her. II. Of the good hope that her people 

 might conceive of her. And, III. Of the fruit of doing or 

 balking their duty to her. Wherein his intent was (as in 

 deed it was in the whole book) to take off all disloyal prin 

 ciples from her subjects, especially from such of them as 

 professed themselves to have rejected the Popish religion, 

 and to make them ready, both for conscience and policy 

 sake also, to submit themselves to her government. 



